News in Brief: Sep. 22 to Sep. 27

The first two solar panel installations in a series of five installments were completed earlier this month as panels were placed above Robertson Gym and parking lot 38. Future panels will be placed atop San Clemente Villages, Elings Hall and parking structures at Mesa Road. University of California, Santa Barbara Campus Energy Manager Jordan Sager projects that the panels will provide 11-12 percent of the campus’ annual electricity use.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a $25,000 grant in support of the a newly launched UCSB project that encourages Ph.D. students to apply their skills outside the world of the classroom. Humanities departments’ leaders hope to tailor classes so that students can market themselves competitively in the broader job market.

ISLA VISTA

Santa Barbara County Public Works spent Welcome Week tagging abandoned bicycles throughout the streets of downtown Isla Vista. Bikes were tagged with 48 hour notices pending their removal and impoundment. According to Public Works staff, the county impounds over 50 abandoned bikes at the end of every summer.

COUNTY/STATE

Homeless community college students will now be able to shower at campus gym facilities according to a new law signed into legislation by Governor Jerry Brown last week. Most CC gym facilities were previously open to only those enrolled in physical education courses. Qualifying students must be enrolled at the CC, in good standing and up-to-date on all tuition fees.

The Washington Fire that broke out Thursday night at the Vandenberg Air Force is 100 percent contained as of Saturday night, according to fire department officials. The fire, which burned approximately 224 acres, was sparked by high winds and downed power lines.

The Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy rallied at De La Guerra Plaza on Thursdayto protest the rise in rent prices and eviction notices in Santa Barbara neighborhoods. With the average cost of a two bedroom apartment at $2,400 according to Santa Barbara organizer Frank Rodriguez, CAUSE is campaigning to lower the average 46 percent of income a family spends on rent each year with a Tenants Rights Ordinance. The Ordinance, effective city-wide, will protect renters rights against landlords.

Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department warns the public of a vehicle repair scam; two men approached an 86-year-old man in a parking lot claiming that his van’s brake lights were out and that they repaired the issue for him. Shortly upon his departure, the elderly man realized he was scammed. Surveillance footage associate the two men with a dark colored Prius. Anyone with additional information can call the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office at (805) 683-2724.